Evangelicals and Tradition

May 1, 2005
Sociologists and theologians assert that we live in a post-Christian milieu. Such a claim may be overstated, but the Christian community at large is referred to as postdenominational. Theological and biblical illiteracy are the norm, not the exception; furthermore, the corporate or Catholic church has veered from tradition or lost its roots. Nature abhors a vacuum, and Williams fills the void with this first in a new series on the church fathers, "Evangelical Ressourcement," which exhumes exegetical, theological, and spiritual wisdom from the patristic church. As a professor of patristics and historical theology at Baylor University, Williams is qualified to tackle this subject. Moreover, he has traversed similar ground in his previous books (e.g., "Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism"). Here he examines the concept of tradition, its origin and components, and how it was used in the early church. The book should engender amicable and productive dialog and appeal to Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox believers alike. The end result: renewal, recovery, and revival of the 21st-century Church (which sounds uncannily similar to the motif of the Emergent Church). Although a primer, the book is most appropriate for serious readers. Those interested in lighter devotional material would do well to pass. Recommended without reservation for academic libraries and collections specializing in religion and theology. -C. Brian Smith, Arlington Heights Memorial Lib., IL

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